Was Kirigakure always this angry? He assumed it was. The last time he was in Kirigakure it was being ravaged by war, now it was being ravaged by rain. However, the rain would not reign supreme over Kenji. He had a task to carry out, and nothing would stop him, not even mother nature. Before he prudently acquired a rain coat the splashing pellets were berating him in his face. Now that he had protection, he was much more comfortable traveling to the Administration Building to deliver his message. He first had to speak with an employee of the Mizukage, to see if she would even meet with him. Everything in him not only hoped that she would accept his request to meet, but to agree with the offer as well. Kenji had to admit to himself that an alliance had a personal meaning to him. The Sanin had met so many Kirigakure shinobi, and formed bonds with them... he would hate that possibility of having to fight any of them to the death. To Kenji's knowledge recent years has seen cooperation between the two villages, so why not make it official and formally become allies. It was not his intention to veer out of his lane. Never has Kenji participated directly in politics and policy making, he only gathered the information the politicians used. Thus, he was sure that there were many factors that made forming an alliance a much more complex one than what he had in mind.


Sploshing through the mud, Kenji with his head down stopped near the front of the towering building. His eyes slowly ascending, battling through the rain, took in the full scale of the Mizukage's keep. While his eyes digested the site, his mind digested the magnitude of the moments to come. The worst thought that came to his mind was that he would not get instant gratification. He wanted to know yay or nay today, but he feared that the Mizukage, whether she met directly with Kenji or not, would tell him that she'll notify Kumogakure in a week of her decision. He would understand but it wouldn't be his ideal outcome; however, any outcome that results in the eventual if not immediate alliance of Kirigakure and Kumogakure was an acceptable one. In front of the entrance were a few Kiri-nin. It was time to make his proposition. He introduced himself as Kenji, a shinobi of Kumogakure and informed them he had a message from the Raikage. Kenji politely continued and told them he would prefer to speak with the Mizukage face to face but if that was not possible he had written form of the message that would suffice.

Ayakashi had heard from her ANBU that there had been another unannounced presence in the village, though this was not uncommon, people traveled and those wanting to stay longer filled out their paperwork and moved along to have happy lives, but, when the person who walked through the gates was a known Sanin of another nation, that rose a couple of eye-brows. The Sanin of the other countries were most often celebrities, and Aya through her contacts had been gaining a pretty consistent stream of information from all of the ninja villages, though, for a time it meant that Kiri was a little short of ANBU, but, the long missions which they had undertaken were for the betterment of the country. So, when the Sanin arrived, Ayakashi prepared herself for the honored guest.

Looking to the Door, the ninja who greeted Kenji opened the door to have Ayakashi leaning against the administration desk with her arms folded, as if she had been expecting him for quite some time. A smirk across her face, as she had not seen the ninja for an age, not since the war as a matter of fact. kicking off the bench she would begin to walk towards him, extending a hand in greeting as it seemed that the day which had bought him here had been a rather stormy one in the middle of Kirigakure winter. Curiosity flared in the eyes of the Mizukage, she wanted to know why he was here, and what he had intended to tell her, the fact he had come straight to her office meant that he likely had a diplomatic mission in mind of some kind, though, as to what, whether it be aid for his country, or some other proposal... she was yet to see,

"Welcome to my village Kenji Chikara... It's been a long time since you have walked my streets, so, tell me, what brings you here? "

Almost immediately, the ninja gestured for Kenji to follow him. His head tilted forward slightly, granting the shinobi acknowledgement. Following up the stairs, he began to rehearse the key points in his mind. Drips from the brim of his coat caused the finish to sparkle slightly. Giving the impression that his motive for being here was a beautiful and pure one. With each step, excitement grew. There was actually many things he wanted to talk to her about... so much time had passed since they had the pleasure of each others voices. She knew him as a warrior and there was nothing but mutual respect between the two.

The doorway to a possible alliance was before him. It was pushed opened revealing an expecting Aya. A grin was visible on Kenji's face due to the sight of Ayakashi. The imposing Kage was now in front of Kenji. There were very few shinobi that could exude power just by being present. The fact that Kenji was a Sanin and he still had much training to do before he could match her was inspiring to him. They shook hands and Kenji bowed slightly. She was right to the point, her curiosity had gotten the better of her. She wanted to know what brought Kenji here and Kenji wanted to tell her. Once his hood was removed it showcased his signature blue hair and signaled the coming of the big reveal.


"Thank you for having me. I have been sent here by the Raikage. He would like to form an alliance with you and your village. It has been suggested that the Chuunin exams would be a prime time and place to discuss the  details of a treaty."

Those few sentences meant a lot. His gaze was inviting as he waited Ayakashi's response.

Aya tilted her head to a side, they wanted an alliance... it was a fair call, their countries had been on good terms for a long time and it was only right that an alliance of some kind be made accommodating an open trade agreement. Though, something had niggled at the back of her mind, there had been some changes recently in the Kumo, not the kind she was particularly fond of, they were worrisome, and it smelt like the country which had once been so progressive was acting more like the great fence sitting country of Iwa more than the forward thinking and assertive country of the Raikage. Folding her arms over her chest and raising one hand to stroke the underneath of her chin, Aya began to think deeply about what an alliance between the two countries would mean, and how it could be implemented. Kumo was a strong country, but it was in its adolescence to be sure, it had some budding ninja, its standing army was modest in strength, its economy was fair but nothing particularly shone about the country either...

So, that begged the question...

"Why?"

Aya spoke lightly, lowering her arms back down to her sides and looking up at Kenji with an almost judgemental look, something which challenged him to answer, like a dare.

"Why should Kiri align themselves with Kumogakure, with your new standards in the draft of foreign ninja, it's made my trade of hunter ninja harder in your country, which it my own greatest asset and potential income, you would profit practically from Kiri selling our fine quality ninja tools and armour, not to mention our rare medical supplies and other trade materials... we may gain capitol from your country, but, we can get that from anywhere... so... what uniquely does your country have to benefit mine that i may meet your leader to discuss terms? We are well farmed, protected and supplied..."

Aya spoke giving out a light sigh at the end of it all, she thought she was perhaps being a little tough on the boy, but, if he was a Sannin, he needed to come equipped for this sort of political mission. If all they wanted was a mandate of peace, as far as Aya was aware, that was already reached, along with Iwa and Konoha. Kirigakure was at no shortage of alliances between countries, none better than Konohagakure... but, she was open to the idea that her country was not perfect... they had not yet reached a stage of self sufficiency, though hopefully they could...

To the point and as painfully practical as always. It was humorous to Kenji how the traditional elemental affinity of each country complemented each other... the elements were allies, and now here the two countries were in the process of a possible alliance. The question still lingered in the air... Kenji was quick on the response. "The foreign policy revision was definitely a bold move... but the overarching intention is to mitigate any unnecessary foreign squabbles or disputes. It is a preemptive peace measure at heart. You are probably aware of our standing army to some degree. Our military force is growing rapidly with me now at the core of our shinobi's development. Kumogakure is hungry and being commissioned more so than in recent years... to be honest... with my past emphasis on working abroad, Kumogakure has lost steam. We're working to get back in the mix, and we want you to help us. Then together we can complement each other the best we can. We can do great things as formal allies. The most appealing aspect of joining forces is the political mind of our leader. You'd be surprised what he has in store. Ultimately, I am only here to implore you to talk with him and consider his vision."